Berkeley County gets 350 new voters

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - More than 350 people registered to vote in Berkeley County in the days leading up to Monday's deadline, County Clerk John Small said.

To be eligible to vote in the May 9 primary, voters had to be registered by April 10.

County clerks across West Virginia had extended hours on Friday, Saturday and Monday to accommodate new voters. Small, however, is believed to have outdone all other clerks by having a sign-up session of 40 straight hours.

Between 7 a.m. last Friday and 11 p.m. Saturday, when Small's office was open continuously,199 new voters registered, he said.

He said he was tempted to seek out one more person to make it an even 200.

On Monday, when Small's and other county clerks' offices were open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., another 160 people registered in Berkeley County, according to Small.